NOTE: The FFCRA expired December 31, 2020 and is no longer available. Please contact Dana Shrawder (dshrawder@wrsd.org) or the Superintendent's Office (ahack@wrsd.org) for additional questions.
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA)
As part of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), two leave laws became effective April 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020.
The FFCRA provides employees that satisfy one of the standards noted below with two weeks (up to 80 hours) of paid or partially-paid sick leave for certain reasons related to COVID-19, for the following reasons:
- The employee is subject to a Federal, State, or local quarantine or isolation order related to COVID–19.
- The employee has been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine due to concerns related to COVID–19.
- The employee is experiencing symptoms of COVID–19 and seeking a medical diagnosis.
- The employee is caring for an individual who is subject to an order as described in (1) or has been advised as described (2). Please note that the person being cared for does not have to be related to the employee for the employee to qualify for leave.
- The employee is caring for his or her son or daughter whose school or place of care is closed (or the childcare provider is unavailable) due to COVID–19 precautions.
- The employee is experiencing any other substantially similar condition specified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of Labor.
- Note: time paid under the FFCRA is not reportable to PSERS
The federal Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (EFMLA) also provides eligible employees whose children’s schools or daycares have closed up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave, the first 10 days of which is unpaid (although the employee may substitute EPSLA leave or accrued paid leave) and the remainder of which is paid at two-thirds of their regular rate (up to $200/day).
- Note: EFMLA counts against the annual 12 weeks of FMLA leave per year.
- Note: time paid at the partial-pay rate (2/3) is not reportable to PSERS
For additional information or to apply for either of the two COVID-19 leave options described above, please contact Dana Shrawder (dshrawder@wrsd.org) or the Superintendent's Office (ahack@wrsd.org).